Lost Letters
by Lola-Tenshi
Summary: A month after the Sailors' grueling battle with Sailor Galaxia, Mamoru finally has his belongings returned from America. But there are some additional objects that he wasn't expecting, namely all of Usagi's letters. Post season 5 of anime, with spoilers. One-Shot.


Title: Lost Letters

Pairing(s): Mamoru/Usagi (Darien/Serena)

Warnings: Spoilers for the end of season 5 of the anime. Oh, and plenty of fluff.

Word Count: Around 2200

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon does not belong to me.

Author's Note: I re-watched Sailor Moon a few months ago, and have slowly been working on this story. I'm also currently in love with the Mamoru/Usagi pairing, so here we go. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"I still can't believe you up and left America like that. Especially without bringing your things home! It's not something you would do." Motoki said. He was currently walking beside Mamoru who was carrying a large box in one arm while wheeling his luggage bag behind him.

"It's not like I planned on coming home so soon. It just happened," Mamoru chuckled lightly, wishing he had an extra hand to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. Explaining to Motoki his sudden reappearance when he was suppose to be away studying in America was difficult. He couldn't exactly tell his best friend that he hadn't even made if to America to begin with. That would require a long explanation as well as possibly outing himself as Tuxedo Kamen.

"You should consider yourself lucky that the college mailed your stuff back," Motoki continued, nodding his head towards the luggage Mamoru was carrying. "Although good luck on not getting kicked out of the program. I can't imagine they were thrilled to hear about your disappearance."

Mamoru winced, remembering the message left behind on his answering machine from his college adviser. To say the man was unhappy would be an understatement, but it was still a situation Mamoru would have to deal with sooner or later.

The two arrived at Mamoru's apartment building where they let themselves inside, heading directly to the elevators. Despite being an active person by running everyday, the stairs were not a logical option for anyone living on the 15th floor. Especially with a handful of luggage.

"Was it Usagi-chan?"

"What about Usagi?"

"Was she the reason why you left America in such a rush?" Motoki pushed. He grinned at Mamoru, "I saw the ring she was wearing right after you left. She spent the first couple of weeks staring at it fondly, until she became sad."

Wincing again, Mamoru opened the door of his apartment, letting Motoki and himself in. One of the harder parts of returning to his apartment after the battle was listening to all of the messages Usagi had left him. They may have started off cheerfully, but had quickly become devastated by his not returning any of her messages, though he guessed she only let out those emotions while trying to contact him. Usagi wouldn't have wanted to worry her friends, so she would have kept quiet about he insecurities, something Mamoru wishes he hadn't put her through.

Slipping off their shoe, the two friends stepped into main living space which currently smelled of confectionery sugar. When Mamoru had first arrived back to his apartment, the place had smelled musty despite only having been a couple of months without a living tenant. He had tried to open the windows to let the smell out, but it hadn't been fast enough for Usagi and her friends who showed up at his door one day with a variety of scented candles and other types of air fresheners.

"So what now? Even if you can stay at the college, you're out of luck until the next semester. Are you planning on getting a job again?" Motoki asked as they sat down in the living room.

"When Usagi is your girlfriend, having a job isn't exactly optional," Mamoru laughed. Even if he wasn't spending a lot of money on Usagi, he still had to pay for his apartment as well as utilities. He pushed his luggage bag away from the couch, putting the large box on the small coffee table. He already knew what was in the luggage bag, as it shouldn't have been touched since he last went through it. What he hadn't expecting was the box, so he wasn't sure what it contained.

"Besides, saving up a little money won't hurt."

"I can't argue with that!" Motoki watched as Mamoru opened the package. At the top of the box, standing out in their pink envelopes, were a collection of letters bundled together with an elastic band. Even without looking at the return address, Mamoru could tell they were from Usagi by the color. Putting them aside for now, Mamoru looked through the rest of the box, which contained some papers from the college, and the textbooks he had pre-ordered for his classes.

"Are those unopened letters from Usagi-chan? Looks like you have a lot to go through, so I think I'll leave now. My shift at the arcade is starting soon anyway, so I'll see you around!"

Mamoru bid his friend farewell, then sorted through the papers from the college. Most were about his unannounced absence, as well as a note about who he would need to get in touch with to hopefully straighten everything out. Once he had read everything, he reached for the letters from Usagi before pulling off the elastic band. The one on top had the oldest date according to the postmark, so he read that one first.

Most of the letters were short and hard to decipher as a result of Usagi's poor writing skills. Mamoru chuckled, thinking about how he would have to help Usagi with her character writing at some point. There were a couple of letters that stuck out, showing Usagi's decent from happiness to upset.

_Mamoru, my love, in case you were wondering about my love life because I am so beautiful, don't worry! You're the only one on my mind, Mamoru. I love you a lot! ~ Usagi._

_Mamoru, this is the 30th letter, are you doing well? I have many things going on these days, but it's all right! Mamo-chan, I really want to see you, and love you a lot! ~ Usagi._

_Mamoru, it's been almost two months since I've last seen you. I miss you a lot, and hope that you are well. Why don't you respond to my messages? I still love you a lot! ~ Usagi._

Putting the letters back in order, Mamoru left the pile on the table as he dragged the rest of his belongings to his bedroom. While putting them away, he would think of a way to make up for the pain that Usagi had gone through in his absence.

* * *

Usagi hummed happily to herself as she twirled in front of her bedroom mirror. She watched as the light pink dress she wore flowed loosely around her legs, a simple design complimented by a long-sleeved white cardigan. Last week Mamoru had informed her that he was taking her out, but he wouldn't tell her where. Instead, he instructed her to dress formally and be ready for six so he could pick her up.

After looking at the mirror for a few moments, she decided against leaving her hair down, and started the arduous process of making her usual buns. Depending on where they went, having her hair down could be problematic.

"You look very stunning Usagi-chan," Luna said from Usagi's bed. She had been watching Usagi prepare for the evening, optimistic that this is what the girl needed to help recover from what had happened only a month ago. Not that Usagi would admit it to anyone, but the teen had been suffering frequent nightmares, which left Luna feeling helpless.

"I'm so excited Luna! Mamo-chan and I have rarely seen each other in the past month, he's been so busy settling back down and getting a job," commented Usagi as she tied the last pink bow around her second bun. Some might say that the combination of the buns and bows would make her look childish, but Usagi didn't care. They were cute, and she wanted to wear them!

"I should go wait outside, hopefully Mama and Papa will be too distracted to notice. Mama doesn't seem to mind Mamo-chan, but I don't think Papa likes him. He keeps saying Mamo-chan is too old for me!" Usagi huffed, remembering the last, and first, time Mamoru had encountered her father. "He just doesn't understand."

Luna sighed as she quietly followed Usagi down the hall. The teen had told her parents that she was staying with Rei and the other scouts to study for an upcoming test; however, if her parents saw her outfit they would know she hadn't been truthful. The two tiptoed down the stairway, careful of the spots that creaked, and eventually made it to the entrance way. Making her way through the door first, Usagi used it as a shield as she shouted her goodbyes into the house before running down the driveway and rounding around the brick wall.

"I'm sixteen already, that's plenty old enough to date!" Usagi continued to complained.

"I don't think it's your age, your father has an objection to. And don't lean against the wall, you'll get you outfit dirty!" Luna admonished from her perch on said wall.

Usagi pouted, "But what if I have to stand out here long! I'll get tired, and I don't want to be tired during my date with Mamo-chan!"

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not keeping you waiting then, Usako." Mamoru chuckled from behind her. He had just rounded the corner next to the house and had heard Usagi's last statement.

"Mamo-chan!"

Usagi threw herself at Mamoru, flinging her arms around his neck in a tight grip. "I'm so excited for tonight! But, do I get to find out where we are going now?"

"Oh, I suppose I can tell you now," Mamoru teased. He was dressed in black dress pants, white button-up shirt, and a black blazer much to Usagi's delight. Slipping his hand into Usagi's, he started pulling her along the sidewalk, content to start their night. "First is dinner, then I thought we could take a walk by the lake in the gardens. We've been during the day, but the lake is very beautiful at night."

Usagi hummed in content, briefly tightening her grasp on Mamoru's hand as they slowly walked along the sidewalk. The two eventually lapsed into silence after a couple of minutes of small talk, but it was a comfortable silence that allowed the two to enjoy each other's company.

It wasn't long before Mamoru pulled them to a stop directly in front of one of the nicest restaurants in this part of Tokyo. In fact, now that Usagi thought about it, she remembered this as being the restaurant that Mamoru had taken Chibiusa when the scouts were trying to learn more about the young girls new best friend. That is, until the scouts had ruined it by standing too close to Chibiusa causing the young girl to leave.

"Wow! Are we eating here?!" Usagi exclaimed. The last time she was here, she had been a bit too preoccupied, and poor, to order any food.

"We are. Right this way madam," Mamoru said, holding the door open for her as Usagi smiled broadly.

Dinner pasted pleasantly, the two making small talk whenever Usagi's mouth wasn't preoccupied with food. After a second dessert for Usagi, and a huge deduction to Mamoru's wallet, they set off again, this time making way for the park.

The trip was a bit longer then the walk to the restaurant, but Usagi wasn't complaining. If she could spend every waking moment with the other, she would. Particularly after all the lonely months spent thinking that Mamoru was too busy in America for her. If she could forget those few months, she gladly would. . . as long as she could remember the Sailor Starlights. One could never have too many friends.

Usagi was the first to break the silence once they had entered the park. "Mamo-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for tonight, it's been a while since we've been able to hang out like this. It doesn't matter what we do, it's nice spending time with you. I've missed you a lot."

"I've missed you too, Usako. I'm sorry that we haven't had much time for each other recently, but I want you to know that regardless of how long apart we might be from each other, you're very important to me. Also, you look very breathtaking tonight."

Usagi flushed a bright red, flashing an appreciative smile to Mamoru before gently pulling away to get closer to the flowers they were passing. Taking a moment to compose herself after Mamoru's latest statement, Usagi enjoyed how the flower petals and leaves felt like velvet against her skin and smelled earthy yet sweet. When she felt her blush start to fade, she made her way back to Mamoru and reclaimed his hand, now dragging him to the dock where anyone could take a boat ride during the day. Though Usagi thought it would be wonderful to take a boat ride at night in the moonlight. How romantic!

The two walked to the end of the dock where they took off their shoes, sitting down regardless of how it dirtied their clothes. The drop to the water was just far enough that neither of them could touch the water with their feet, much to Usagi's disappointment, but Mamoru's presence more than made up for it. Usagi leaned against Mamoru, staring out at the lake as it sparkled in the moonlight. Now that the two had settled down, she grabbed one of his hands in between both of hers, cradling it in her lap. She could finally tell him what had been on her mind all night, assured that it was only the two of them.

"I love you, Mamo-chan."

"Love you too, Usako."

* * *

THE END

Well, the ending was a bit more cheesy then I thought it was going to be. But overall, I'm satisfied with how it turned out, especially for my first Sailor Moon fic. Let me know what you thought in a review, and thanks for reading!


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